California Proposition 17, Holy Bible in Public Schools Initiative (1926)

California Proposition 17
Election date November 2, 1926
Topic Religion
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

California Proposition 17 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in California on November 2, 1926. It was defeated.

A “yes” vote supported allowing public schools to purchase and use the Holy Bible, provided that no student is forced to read the Bible against their parents' or guardians' preferences.

A “no” vote opposed allowing public schools to purchase and use the Holy Bible, provided that no student is forced to read the Bible against their parents' or guardians' preferences.

Election results

California Proposition 17
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		439,210	43.44%
No		571,934	56.56%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition 17 was as follows:

“

Requiring Bible in Schools.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary for this measure was:

“

Initiative measure amending Section 8 of Article IX of Constitution. Forbids appropriating public money for support of sectarian or denominational schools or those not exclusively controlled by public school officers; prohibits teaching sectarian or denominational doctrines, directly or indirectly, in public schools; authorizes purchase, with public funds, and use of Holy Bible therein, requiring copy thereof in every public school library and classroom: permits daily study thereof in school and reading therefrom by teacher, without comment, but requiring no pupil to read or hear it read, contrary to wishes of parent or guardian.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Constitutional changes

The ballot measure would have added the following underlined language to the California Constitution:

The purchase, with public funds, and use of the Holy Bible in the schools of this state shall not be deemed a violation of the constitution, and a copy of the Holy Bible shall be placed in every public school library, and in every public school classroom, and may be studied in any school or read by any teacher without comment, as a part of the daily school exercises, but no pupil shall be required to read the Bible, or hear it read, contrary to the wishes of his parent or guardian.

Background

From 1926 to 2024, voters decided on at least nine ballot measures related to religion in public schools in nine states: California (1926), North Dakota (1948), Maryland (1970), Florida (1972), Massachusetts (1972), Wisconsin (1972), West Virginia (1984), Missouri (2012), and Alabama (2018).

The following map illustrates where voters have decided on ballot measures related to religion in public schools:

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in California

In California, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast at the preceding gubernatorial election. For initiated amendments filed in 1926, at least 77,263 valid signatures were required.

See also

1926 Measures

• 1926 Measures
• Religion-related policy on the ballot
• Religion in public schools on the ballot
• 1926 legislative sessions

California

• California ballot measures
• California ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• California Voter Guide (November 1926)